CSO violin Blair Milton retires after 48-year run

Blair Milton, a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s first violin section since 1975, is retiring Nov 1.

Appointed by Sir Georg Solti, Milton performed under subsequent music directors Daniel Barenboim and Riccardo Muti, as well as under Bernard Haitink, principal conductor (2006-2010), and Pierre Boulez, principal guest conductor (1995-2006). “It has been a great privilege to work with the very best conductors and to play in the midst of such amazing and dedicated musicians for these many years,” Milton said. “The joy of playing Bruckner and Mahler with Solti, Mozart piano concerti with Barenboim and Verdi’s Macbeth with Muti stand out as experiences that I will always cherish.”

After performing his first CSO concert at the start of the 1975 Ravinia Festival season, Milton went on to participate in 44 international tours, including the CSO’s first tours to Asia, Australia and South America.

A chamber music advocate, Milton performed regularly on the chamber music series of the CSO and the Ravinia Festival. He also appeared as a soloist with the Chicago String Ensemble and with the CSO, conducted by Solti. In 1979, Milton became a founding member of the Evanston Chamber Ensemble and also was the originator of the Winter Chamber Music Festival, which will mark its 28th season this January. Since the festival’s founding, Milton has performed with luminaries such as Daniel Barenboim, Gil Shaham, Menahem Pressler, Yo-Yo Ma, Pinchas Zukerman, Lynn Harrell and János Starker, among others.

A longtime educator and mentor, Milton has been a member of Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music violin faculty since 1984. He is also director of its Summer Violin Institute. He has given master classes across the United States, as well as in South America, Germany and Japan.

A native of Canada, Milton began his musical training at McGill University in Montreal. He earned a master’s degree at Indiana University, where he studied with the legendary Josef Gingold. Other teachers include Ivan Galamian, Franco Gulli and former CSO concertmaster Sidney Harth.

“I will miss both the music-making and the camaraderie,” Milton said. “It has been an enduring source of inspiration to have played thousands of concerts with all of my colleagues in this remarkable ensemble. I leave with a lifetime of artistic memories and lifelong friends.”

After his CSO retirement, Milton will continue teaching at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music and continue as director of the Winter Chamber Music Festival. He also looks forward to spending more time with his wife, Barbara, and his children and grandchildren. Milton will receive the CSO’s Theodore Thomas Medallion for Distinguished Service at a later date.